this is how a heart breaks

All around her, Aliana saw anger, pain, and despair. Chimera always held some natural rage caged inside his heart, but after watching the knock-down, drag-out fight between him and a very pregnant Viper, it became apparent that no one was ever truly safe from Chimera's temper or teeth. Viper was a mess, lashing out at everything—namely her—and still trying to get rid of her. The fight they'd had that Chimera had to break up had shown just how little tolerance the older woman had for her, and any sense of reluctant acceptance and safety was a thing of the past. Viper had shown she was a clear and present danger to herself and to Ali. Dalila looked worse and worse every day, with no smile hanging on her lips and no life left in her eyes. She didn't know what had happened between the other slave woman and Siren, but whatever it was, it was cataclysmic. Dalila looked ready to die.

Then there was Siren herself. The golden princess that had been a prominent feature of the island had become withdrawn, keeping to herself. Only Chimera had really seen her, and she only knew that because of her lingering scent on him every so often. Aliana herself hadn't interacted with Siren since the day she'd patched her up and saved her life. It seemed to the former slave that everyone was going through a period of strife and tension on the island. Happiness was a luxury no longer afforded here. So the clouded fae did what she did best: she persevered. She followed her routines, stuck to what she knew, explored some of the island more freely. It was for that reason that Ali found herself wandering down the soft sands of the coast that looped the island, listening to the gentle lapping of ocean waves as the sun began to peek over the eastern horizon. Caught between night and day in a time where spirits thrived, the world was tranquil, as if made anew for the coming day. IT was this time, just before the break of dawn, and twilight that Aliana loved the most.

As she wandered idly down the beach, a sound began to rise gradually over the sounds of the sea. A single mottled ear flicked to try and catch the sound. It was coming from further down the beach, and as she drew closer... was that... singing...? Ali's brow raised, curious paws carrying her towards the sweet melody that called to her like the voice of an angel. It wasn't until she'd rounded a bend in the shore that she found Siren, sitting alone and watching the sunrise with her deer friends around her. The song was coming from her; Siren was singing to no one but the universe and the gods in lyrics so lovely it would have brought the hardest of wolves to tears.

For a moment, Ali froze in place, transfixed by Siren's song. She listened to the melody she sang, a tune clear as crystal, yet weighed with sorrow and hurt that come from her soul. Ali stared with amazed eyes at the tiny golden princess, bewitched by her for a moment. It was easy to see why Chimera wanted to keep her safe on the island; Siren was a treasure. She was beautiful in every regard imaginable. Aliana listened to Siren for a few moments, learning the melody she sang and finding where it repeated. Without a word, Ali began to pad softly closer to the fae, her paws making gentle crunches in the sand to announce her presence. She came to sit near Siren, but offered her some space so she wouldn't make the lady uncomfortable in case she wanted to be alone. Then, falling right in tune with her, Ali joined her in song. She didn't know the specific sadness Siren sang with, but she used her own to tune her vocals; the sorrow of a life lived alone, without the love of parents, of family, of lovers—of knowing nothing but bars and cages for the gray songbird. Together, the two ladies' voices harmonized, carrying on the cool autumn air above the call of the ocean.

"Aliana"